Business travellers given second opportunity to have their say on inter-island travel times

Blue Islands is re-launching its business travellers’ inter-island schedule timing consultation survey after an inconclusive number of responses from the initial launch.

Despite a seven-week period when people could respond, just 94 did so, including 10 who were not Channel Island based. These responses will count toward the next result.

Rob Veron, Blue Islands CEO, says:

we really appreciate the time our customers took to complete the survey, however the sample just wasn’t large enough to base a change of schedule on. We can only make changes based on feedback representative of the inter-island business travel market, as such we are again seeking the business community’s views as to when it wants these services to depart.

Blue Islands is a market-led company, and we will respond to what our customers are telling us they want. We want to underpin our other data with real customer input to ensure every possible option has been reviewed for our inter-island timings.

In March the airline boosted inter-island capacity by 48% at peak morning times in each direction on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, when the business customers have historically chosen to travel. Mr Veron added: “Adding a larger 68-seat ATR 72 aircraft was in response to the demand for peak services from business travellers. Further to this capacity enhancement, we want to operate schedules our business customers find most convenient to maximise their working day and naturally we are very happy to alter the current timings if enough customers tell us they want to fly at different times.

Blue Islands is committed to the inter-island route, and through consultations like these we can make it more convenient than ever to travel between Guernsey and Jersey.

Chief Executive of the Jersey Chamber of Commerce, Gillian Martindale-Parsons, said:

inter-island connectivity is a vital link for businesses with existing offices in both islands and those companies looking to develop leads. In order to ensure our providers are meeting the demands of commerce, it’s important commerce provide an insight into their travel requirements and surveys such as this will help provide that knowledge.

Guernsey Chamber of Commerce director John O’Neill said the group endorsed creating tailored and effective Channel Island air links. He said Chamber had received some 700 responses to its own recent Islands Infrastructure Survey.

I would encourage as many people as possible to take part in this survey as Chamber has already identified the need for closer links between the islands’ business communities. It would provide valuable insight if that level of interest was replicated in determining what type of air links are needed between Jersey and Guernsey.

We understand the significant role inter-island travel plays in leisure travel including sport and are engaging with those groups separately.